Known in the art are various tools used for sanding applications and other related tasks.
The Assignee of the present application has developed several of such products, some of which are described in the following U.S. Pat. and industrial designs: D258,043; D263,277; D414,395; D431,993; D435,408; D463,639; D474,389; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,629,331; 6,719,620; 6,726,868; 6,742,215; 6,775,912; and 7,384,328; the contents of which are incorporated here by reference.
Also known to the Applicant are the following US patents, patent application and industrial designs which describe sanding tools and the like: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,160,995; 4,062,152; 4,320,601; 4,779,385; 4,937,984; 4,964,243; 5,007,206; 5,036,627; 5,056,268; 5,123,216; 5,193,313; 5,527,212; 5,239,783; 5,245,797; 5,313,746; 5,319,889; 5,398,454; 5,398,457; 5,470,272; 5,482,499; 5,533,925; 5,558,569; 5,605,500; 5,624,305; 5,709,595; 5,833,524; 5,967,886; 6,004,194; 6,099,397; 6,179,696 B1; 6,257,969 B1; 6,705,931 B2; 6,860,799 B2; 7,033,259 B1; D343,104; D344,003; D354,666; D371,948; D387,962; D392,860; D404,273; D459,965 S; D494,434 S; D504,602 S; D511,954 S; 2001/0051501 A1; and 2004/0192180 A1.
Indeed, sanding tools are very well known in the art. A typical sanding tool usually comprises a handle for manual operation of the tool and a working or operating surface onto which a sandpaper (or a sanding meshing) is mounted and rested so as to be able to carry out sanding applications by passing the sandpaper-covered operating surface over the area to be sanded.
Also known in the art are the fastening devices which are commonly used to removably mount a sandpaper onto such a sanding tool. Indeed, a typical fastening device generally consists of a pin projecting from a rear portion of the sanding tool onto which a clamping plate is pivotally mounted. A portion of the sandpaper is generally clamped between the rear portion and the clamping plate and this is generally achieved by urging the plate against the rear portion of the sanding tool by means of a nut threadedly engageable onto the pin and rotated thereabout so as to bias the clamping plate against the rear portion. The nut is usually provided with a pair of projections which are commonly known as “rabbit ears” and which are used to facilitate the rotation of the nut about the threaded pin with the fingers of an operator of the tool.
Furthermore, it is also known that most conventional sanding devices that are not used with vacuum systems do not enable a proper evacuation of sanded particulars from either the operating surface of the tool or from the surface being worked on by said tool, and that even some conventional sanding devices that are used with vacuum systems present significant shortcomings in terms of sanding results (ex. performance, efficiency, etc.) and in terms of suction and/or evacuation of sanded particles (ex. during use in hard-to-reach places, etc.), and in terms of maneuverability (range of motion, flexibility of sanding possibilities and angles, etc.).
Hence, in light of the aforementioned, there is a need for an improved sanding device which would be able to overcome and/or remedy some of the aforementioned prior art problems.